Knockdown metal tank



Jam, 23, 1923.

G. E. MITTINGER KNOCKDOWN METAL TANK 4 SHEETS'SHEET 1 Fl LED DEc 20, 192] 4 SHEETS-SHEET 3 G. E. MITTINGER. KNocKDowN METAL TANK F1 LED Dec 20. I 921 Jam. 3, W23,

Jan. 23, R923. 1,443,]192

e. E. MITTINGER.

KNOCKDOWN METAL TANK, FILED DEc. 20, l 921 4 SHEETSSHEET 4 y and State of Ohio, new and useful Improvements in Knock- Patented darn. 2d, lfifid.

GEORGE JEUGbENEJMITTINGrER, 0 F YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO.

.nnocknown METAL SAME.

Application filed D eeember 20,11921. pseriaina seams.

To. allalwm it mag concern:

lB'e it known thatli, GEO GE E. Mir rinenn,

a citizen: or the United States, residing at lr'oungstown, in the county oi Mahonin'g have invented certain downMetal Tanks, of which the following is a specification, reference being 'had there in to: the accompanying drawing.

This invention. relates to improvements in knock-down metal tanks, and isfintended particularly for the storage of oil in what isiknown,asifield use.

[The parts composing these tanks are transported to thenearest railway station. and then transported sometimes formiles over roughcountry and in the field, adj acent the well, or wells, to receive and storethe oil therefrom.

So far as I am' aware, a. heretofore these knockdown tanks havebeen composed of sheets of metal called staves, which have their adjacent edges lappedand riveted together with an intervening packing, which requiresthousands ofrive't holes and rivets. These tanksare made of large capacity and are sometimes made several staves high. It has been vfound in practice extremely diflicult and practically impossible to erect tanks of. this type in the fieldandhave them leak tight andto remainleak tight. Furthermore it is desirable at times to transport or move these lmook down tanks and inplaces where it is impractical to move them in their erected form. Owing to the rivets it is expensiveand almost impractical to tear the tank down and transport it to the desired place and re-erect it. In fact, it is practically as cheap to erect a new tank in the desired position as it is totear down a riveted tank and transport it to the desired point and re-erect it.

ltis the primary object of my invention to provide a rivetless knockdown tank which is capable of quick erection and when erected will be liquid tight and remain liquid tight and is capable of being quickly and readilyiexternally tightened at any point-that a leak should occur and which will; not require expert work, such as is required. in tank riveting. Another object of my invention is to providea. rivetless knock-down tank which it is-practical and economical to knock down and. transport and 'reserect in the field.

litherobjects of my present improvement will appear from the specification--aiid draww mgs:

the accompanying drawings: 1

Figure 1 is a -perspectiveviewshowing'a1 metal liquid storage tank embodying my present improvement.

Fig. 2-is anenlarged sideview of a=-tank embodying my improvement.

Fig. 8 is avertical section ofthe metal tank embo dying my improvements; the same broken in two, intermediate the length of the staves.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged side elevation showing the method of joining andmaki-ng liq-- LllCttlglli; the adjacent vertical edge's ofilthe upper stavesanrlthe top edges of the lower staves.

.l igo is a side elevation of 'theb'ottom edge of one of the lower stavesandshowin'g' two adjoining sections of thebottcm and the method of makingthe'joints of -these parts liquid tight.

Fig. 6 is a reduced-top plan view. of the sectional bottom "for the tank.

Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view: through the bottom and the adjacent edge of onset the lower staves.

Fig. 8 is a detailed view showing theiadjacent edges of two bottom sections, the view taken at right angles to'higl'l.

Fig. 9 is an enlargeddetachedaview of the packing member used at "the vertical-edges offlthe upperstaves and the horizontal top edges of the lower stavesQand "thermanner of making tight the abutting ends ofi the sectional packing members.

Fig. 10'is' a perspective ofa straight section ofthe packing member. r

Fig. 11 is a detachedperspective view of the packing member used at the junction of the edges of the sectional bottom ;and-the adjacent lower of the vertical-stave Referring now to the drawings,in which similar reference characters denote the same parts, my improved knock-down tank 'consists of a plurality of staves lyand where the tank is made more than onestave high, a plurality of vertical sta-ves 2. "In Fig. "1, I haveshown the tank round infor'm, but I desire it to be understood that the tank maybe of any cross-sectionalform-Without affecting my present improvement.

In carrying, out my present "improvement,

I provide the'slde margins or edges ofthe staves with lateral flanges a and their top and bottom edges with laterally extending flanges 6. These side and bottom flanges each is provided with a curved portion 4 and an inner straight portion 5, as clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 7.

The bottom is composed of a plurality of sections as 6, 7, 8 and 9. This bottom is made of a size larger than the circumference of the tank equal to the length of the straight portion 5 of the flange at the bot tom edges or margins of the vertical staves 2, as shown at ,9, and the peripheries of the sections are provided with curved portions 10, which register or correspond to the curved portions 4 of the flange of the staves 2. It will be observed by reference to Fig. 7 that the portion 4 of the stave is curved upwardly, while the portion 10 of thesections of the bottom is curved downwardly, whereby a round, or approximately round space is formed between the two curved portions to receive a suitable compressible packing 11, which is correspondingly shaped. This packing member 11 also has a laterally extending flange 12, which extends between the portions 5 and 9 of the bottom stave, as in Fig. 7, and extends between. the corresponding straight portions portions 13 and 5 of the side edge flanges of both the up per and lower staves. The straight edges of the sections of the bottoms are provided with dependinmflanges which have curved straight portions 14, which are the same shape as the straight and curved portions 4 and 5 of the staves, eX- cept that the ends of these bottom flanges extend upward and merge into the curved portions 10 at the peripheries of the bottom sections, as shown at 15, Fig. 7.

The packing member, shown in Fig. 11, comprises the round portion 11 and the lateral flange 12, and also a downwardly and inwardly curved round portion 16, which merges into the round portion 11 to correspond with the shape 15 of the flanges in Fig. 7, and then an inwardly extending straight round portion 17 fitting between the curved flanges 13 at the straight edges of the bottom sections 6, 7, 8 and 9.

In Fig. 9, I show the shape of the packing member at the adjacent vertical edges Of the upper staves and the top horizontal edges of the lower. staves, and it consists essentially of a T, as clearly shown in that figure, the round portions 11 of the T merging into each other and the lateral flanges of the round portions of the T also merging into each other, as shown in Fig. 9.

".In practice these packings are made in sections and for the purpose of making a liquid tight joint between the adjacent edges of the sections of the packing, one adjacent end is provided with an opening 18 and the adjacent end 19 of the other section extends into this opening. Theend 19 may or may not be reduced since the wall of the opening 18 will be thin so that when the packing is compressed, it will make a tight fit in between the curved ortions of the flanges and also a liquid tig 1t joint between the adjacent ends of the several sect-ions of the packing.

The staves and the sections of the bottom are clamped in assembled positions and the packing compressed between the flanges to make a liquid tight joint by means of a plurality of clamping members 0. These clamping membeis comprise two parts, one a hooked shaped member 20, which is provided with a screw-tln'eaded stem 21, a block 22 through which the screw-threaded stem 21 passes, the block having its inner side curved as at 23, and a nut 24 on the screw threaded stem 21. These two members 20 and 22, of several separate clamps, are placed in position to embrace the outer surfaces of the adjacent curved portions of the staves, and the curved portions of the flanges of the staves and the bottom, and

of the curved portions of the flanges of the straight edges of the sections of the tank bottom.

There will be a suflicient number of clamps c for each pair of flanges to cause a proper compression of the packing between the flanges to make a liquid tight joint, the number of clamps used will depend somewhat upon the thickness and rigidity of the flanges. That is to say, it will require a greater number of flanges for relatively thin material than it would be required for stout heavy material, and a more or less number of clamps than that shown in the drawing for each seam could be used according to the necessity of the structure.

It will also be readily understood that by means of these adjustable clamps c, the joints can be tightened from time to time if it should be necessary and if there should be a leak at any particular point, an additional clamping member can be added exteriorly at that point for the purpose of causing additional compression of the packing at that point.

By means of a knock-down metal tank of the construction here shown, the staves or sheets composing the tank will be shipped in a knock-down nested form, together with the clamping members, and the tank readily and quickly erected at the desired point without the necessity of especially skilled mechanics, such as would be required for water-tight applying thousands of rivets as in the old riveted tank. Furthermore, the tank can be knocked down and trans ported and re-erected without the necessity of especially skilled mechanics. The staves are strengthened by the marginal flanges,

amina so that they will be held in their original proper shape even when subjected to rough handling, such as they will get in transporting over rough country.

Where the tank is round in cross-section the packing, member 11, shown in Fig. 11,

will be curved to correspond to the curve of the bottom of the tank, but if the tank below the tank.

flanges of the upper tier of staves, which form the joint is located intermediate the side edges of the staves formingthe tier edges of the sections which form the bottom are so located that they come between the straight edges of the lower tier of staves. By reason of these two arrangements the seams of the staves forming the relatively upper and lower tiers of the tank add greatly to the strength and rigidity of the structure when completed.

I desire it to be understood that with this construction of knock-down metal tank, the tank may be composed of any practical number of tiers, and the tank may be provided with any suitable or well-known form of cover, either, a duplicate of the sectional bottom, or any other desired form of cover.

I wish it also to be understood that the flanges or the edges of the staves and sections of the bottom will afford the necessary stability and shape holding characteristics to hold their shape in transportation over rough ground, and in handling in erection, etc. i

I do not limit myself to the exact construction herein shown and described, for this may be varied without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appendedclaims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A knock-down tank comprising two horizontal rolls of vertical staves, the said staves arranged in sta 'gering relation, said staves having outward y extending vertical flanges on their edges and horizontal flanges Attention is also directed j to the fact that the flanges on the straight on their bottoms, pack-ings between the flanges, said packing being "it-shaped at the junction of the vertical and horizontal flanges, and clamps for the said flanges.

2. A. knockdown metal tank comprising a plurality of vertical staves and a bottom, said staves having outwardly extending flanges on their vertical edges and outwardly extending flanges on their bottoms, said bottom composed of a plurality of transversely arranged members having outwardly extending flanges on their sides and peripheries, the ends or the side flanges turned outward and merging into the peripheral flange, and packing between the flanges corresponding to the said shape, and clamps clamping the said flanges.

3. Ar knock-down metal tank comprising a plurality of vertical staves having at their vertical and bottom edges laterally and outwardly extending flanges having bent portions to form oppositely extending grooves,

a. bottom composed of a plurality of transverse sections having their transverse edges provided with downwardly extending flanges bent to form oppositely extending grooves at their adjacent faces, and the outer edges of the sections having outwardly extending bent portions under the flanges at the bottoms of the vertical staves, the outer ends of the transverse flanges of the bottom sections extending upwardly and merging into the horizontal bent flanges on the outer edges of the bottom sections and a plurality of clamping members embracing the said flanges, for the purpose described.

.4. A knock-clown metal tank comprising a plurality of vertical staves having flanges with packing bet-ween them, clamping. members comprising two parts, one part engag ing one said flanges and curved inward, a second member engaging the opposite flange, said second member having an opening through which said curved portion passes, the curved portion extending beyond the member and screw threaded, and a nut on the screw-threaded end, whereby the clamping action is in a direct line with the said flanges.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

GEORGE EUGENE MITTINGER. 

